Bicycle-saddle



srrrnn STATES PATENT Erica.

'ARTHUR J. EDDY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BICYCLE-SADDLE.

STE'EGIFIC'ATEON forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,224, dated August 27, 1895. Application filed May 24,1895. Serial No. 550,515- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that L'ARTHUR J. EDDY, a citizen of the United States, residing atChicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bicycle-Saddles, of which the following is a specification.

It is a fact now well recognized that lasting injury to health may be occasioned by the more or less constant riding upon a bicyclesaddle which is not constructed according to hygienic and anatomical principles to conform to the body of the rider; and the difficulties hitherto in the way of obtaining a resilient saddle for bicycles which would be free from all danger of working injury to a rider and at the same time contribute to his ease and comfort, without interfering with the free movement of his legs, is well known to those who have investigated the subject, and has caused many to adopt saddles of the unyielding type, but shaped to permanently conform to the body, rather than resilient saddles, which, if constructed with due regard to the health of the rider, would be much more comfortable.

One of my objects is to provide a yielding saddle for bicycles which shall possess the properties of adapting itself to the form of the rider and of fitting against a considerable area of his body during and without interfering with the movement of his legs, whereby the weight of the rider while he works the pedals will be upon those parts of his body naturally intended to sustain the weight in sitting, and never with undue pressure upon the prostate gland or any part which such pressure might injuriously affect.

My object is also to provide a saddle having the properties named and of a construction which shall render it yielding in such a manner as to neutralize the vibrations trans mitted by the machine and give particular case and comfort to the rider.

My object is still further to provide a yielding saddle of improved construction which shall be comparatively simple, durable, light, attractive, and inexpensive.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a saddle of my improved construction; Fig. 2, a side elevationof the same; Fig. 3, a rear elevation. of the saddle, illustrating the manner of attaching it to a saddle-support, which is shown insection; Figs. 4 and 5, atop plan View and a side elevation, respectively, of the spring-frame portion of the saddle; Fig. 6, a section taken on line 6 of Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrow, and Fig. 7 a plan view of a detachable reinforcing plate or pad.

A is the saddle formed with the spring-frame A, comprising a transverse, preferably resilient, bar A and horizontally-disposed seatsections A As I prefer to construct the frame it is in two parts, as shown, each formed of a single length of spring-wire bent to produce the transversely-extending arm t, having the free end portion 15 and upwardly-inclined part i, bend F, from which extends the ogee length or outer forward rail t terminating at the forward end in a bend t center rail or length 75 in a plane somewhat higher than the length i, horizontally-disposed loop 79, rear curved portion or back rail i terminating in a bend in close proximity to the bend t and arm 13 formed like and extending parallel with the arm 15. The arm portionst t of the frame-sections together form the transverse supporting-bar A of the saddle, and the other parts of the sections form the horizontallydisposed seat portion.

B is a saddle-supporting block or clip provided with the socket portion 8, saddle-barengaging screw 8', and the upward-projecting arms .9 3 In the arms 8' s are openings 8" to receive the end portions 25' of the arms 15 t. The arms overlap or intermesh with each other in the saddle-supporting block B, and between the arms 5 s of the latter they are bent coincidently upward to form a saddlesupport-receiving socket, as shown at t in Fig. 3. The saddle-support G extends through the socket s of the block B and socket formed by the parts 2 of the arms, and the saddle is fastened in place by tightening the screw 8, which thus clamps all the parts firmly in position. The lengthstt which form the arms or opposite end portions of the transverse supporting-bar A sustain the main body of the seat portion of the frame about midway between front and back, while the horizontallydisposed frame sections are supported to swing from the bends'iand yield with greatest ease along the center-rail portion.

The loops 6 which are supported at the center-rail portions, have an additional independent yielding. At the pom mel portion A of the saddle the parts 25 t are preferably, but not necessarily, bent in the upward direction to elevate the bends t, and the back-rails t are bent to extend in a higher plane than the loops i to produce the cantle A In practice the weight of the rider is imposed more directly upon the bearing-surfaces afforded by the loops 2S", and the yielding of these loops is substantially in the vertical plane, with the effect of lowering the center rails it. Thus the least resistance is at those parts of the saddle which by yielding produce practically absolute conformity of the seat to the riders person and thereby give the greatest comfort and ease.

D is a saddle-covering shaped to conform to the frame-sections A A and sufl'lciently flexible to follow to the desired extent the motions of the springs. Iprefer to construct the covering in one piece, as shown, and the material employed is preferably leather. The weight of the rider is about equally balanced upon a transverse line directly over the transverse supporting-bar A and under any change of position of the rider the saddle'may yield at the pommel or cantle ends. The pommel portion of the saddle will prevent the rider from slipping to either side, and is particularly yielding, so that in the event that the rider slips forward the pommel will sink under his weight, and thereby prevent the tendency to injury which more rigid pommels would be apt to inflict. The cautle portion of the saddle being yielding enables a rider to slip off the saddle in the backward direction, in case of emergency, with greater case than were the cantle rigid. The construction which permits the saddle to rock upon a central transverse line and thus afford a yielding pommel and a yielding cantle is particularly desirable, both for the comfort and safety of the rider, and the yielding pommel is also particularly desirable for the use of ladies, because it renders mounting and dismounting from the saddle much more easy than is the case with rigid pommels. I prefer in practice to secure the spring frame-sections together at the pommel, and for this purpose I provide the clip q, (shown in Fig. 6,) which connects at opposite ends with the center rails i The pommel portion of the saddlecover may be fastened in place by means of arivet q passing through the clip (1, as shown. I also prefer in practice to provide upon each loop 25 a reinforcing plate or pad E, which may be of leather, or it may be of thin sheet metal, perforated, as shown in Fig. .7, and provided with lugs or stops p, which when the plate or pad is imposed upon the loop engage the inner circumference of the latter and prevent shifting of the plate or pad. This manner of attaching the plate or pad renders it removable and replaceable at will, and the material from which it is formed should be sufficiently flexible to dish downward under the weight of the rider and sustain in a measure the flexible seat-covering, to prevent the latter from becoming permanently sagged at the loops in use. The tendency of the plates or pads when used will also be to cause the loops to yield equally throughout under weight imposed upon any part thereof, and they will also operate as supplemental cushions between the rider and the springs.

Though I prefer to construct the transverse bar A in two separate sections, as shown and described, the two parts or sections of the spring seat-frame may be formed integralas, for example, by forming them both from a single length of wire. The bends at the parts 6', which afford the upper support-receiving socket, afford a particularly desirable and simple construct-ion, and in the event that either section of the seat becomes injured it may be replaced, while the other section may remain.

The features of my saddle which render it particularly desirable for comfort and ease while working the pedals are the tendency to yield more readily at the center than at the sides and the readiness with which it will 'rock to produce the yielding pommel and cantle.

The wirefrom which the springs are made may be of any desired gage to produce the proper action according to the weight of the rider; and constructed as described the saddle is not only neat in appearance and durable, but it is particularly light and inexpen- .sive IO man ufactu I'B.,

While I prefer to construct my invention throughout; as shown and described, it may be modified in the matter of details of construction without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined by the claims.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In abicycle saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block of a transverse seat-supporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, and a seat frame supported at opposite sides upon the ends of said bar and formed of wire bent to yield more freely at the center than at the sides of the saddle, the seat frame being yieldingly supportedbetween its front and rearends on the said bar to have an up-and-down rocking motion at said ends, substantially as described.

2. In abicycle saddle, the combination with the saddlesupport engaging-block of a yielding transverse seat-supporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, and a seat frame supported at opposite sides upon the ends of said bar and formed of wire bent to yield more freely at the center than at the sides of the saddle, the seat frame being yieldingly supported between its front and rear ends on the said bar to have an up-and-down rocking motion at said ends, substantially as described.

3. In a bicycle saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engagingblock of atransverse seat-snpporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, and a seat frame supported at opposite sides upon the ends of said bar and formed of wire bent to yield more freely at the center than'at the sides of the saddle and to afiord yielding bearing surfaces between the said sides and center, the seatframe being supported between its front and rear ends on the said bar to have an upand-down rocking movement at said ends, substantially as described.

4. In a bicycle saddle, the combination with the saddle-so pport engaging block, of a spring seat frame formed with atransversely extending arm, supported toward its center at the said block, and with a horizontally disposed spring wire seat carried by the outer ends of said arm and formed between its center and opposite sides with hearing loops, substantially as described.

5. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination'with the saddle-support engaging-block, of a transverse seat-supporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, and a seat-frame formed of longitudinally extending. sections supported at their outer sides upon the ends of said bar, substantially as described.

6. In abicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support en gaging-block, of a transverse seat-supporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, and a seat-frame formed of longitudinally extending downwardly yielding sections supported at their outer sides upon the ends of said bar, substantially as described.

7. In abicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block, of a transverse seat-supporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, and a seat-frame formed of wirebent to producea pommel and supported at opposite sides between its ends upon the ends of said bar, to render the saddle readily yielding at the pommel, substantially as described.

8. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-s11 pport engaging-block, of a transverse seat-supporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, and a seat-frame formed of wire bent to produce a cantle, and

supported at opposite sides between its ends upon the ends of said bar, to render the saddle readily yielding at the cantle, substantially as described.

9. In a bicycle saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engagingdolock, of a transverse seat-supporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, and a seat-frame formed of wire bent to produce a pommel and a cantle, and supported at opposite sides between its ends upon the ends of said bar to rock thereon and thus render the saddle readily yielding at the potnmel and cantle, substantially as described.

10. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block, of a transverse seat-supporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, anda skeleton seat-frame formed of parallel longitudinally extending sections separated from each other at the seat-portion, and supported at their outer sides upon the ends of said barto yield more readily along the center of the saddle than at the sides thereof, substantially as described.

11. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging-block, of a transverse seat-supporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, and aslreleton-frame in two parallel longitudinally extending sections forming together seat and pommel frame-portions of the saddle, and supported at their outer sides upon the ends of said bar to yield more readily along the center of the saddle than at the sides thereof, substantially as described.

12. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddlesupport engaging-block, of a transverse seat-supporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, and a skeleton-frame in two parallel longitudinally extending sections forming together seat and pommel frame portions of the saddle separated at the seat-portion and connected together at the pommel-portion, and supported at their outer sides upon the ends of said bar to yield more readily along the center of the saddle than atthe sides thereof, substantially as described. 7

13. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engagingbloclr, of a transverse seat-supporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, and a skeleton-frame in two parallel longitudinally extending sections forming together seat and pommel frame-portions of the saddle, and supported at their outer sides between their ends upon the ends of said bar to yield more readily along the center of the saddle than at the sides thereof, and to rock on said bar to render the pomrnel yielding, substantially as described.

l-i. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-support engaging blocmof a transverse seat-supporting bar mounted between its ends at the said block, and a skeleton-frarne in two parallel longitudinally ex tending sections forming together seat, pommel and cantle f rame-portions of the saddle, and supported at their outer sides between their ends upon the ends of said bar to yield more readily along the center of the saddle than at the sides thereof, and to rock on said bar to render the pommel and cantle yielding, substantially as described.

15. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block,of a spring seat-frame formed with spring wire skeleton frame sections extending transversely through the block, and supported to yield more freely along the center of the seat than at the sides thereof, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

16. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engagingblock, of aspring scat-frame formed with two sections each comprising a transversely extending arm supported toward its inner end at the said block, and an inward extending horizontally disposed seat-portion carried by the outer end of said arm, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

17. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engagingblockpf a spring seat-frame formed with two sections each comprising a transversely extending arm supported toward its inner end at the said block and an inward extending horizontally disposed seat-portion carried by the outer end of said frame and formed with an outward extending loop supported at the inner side to the seat-portion, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

18. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block,of a spring seat-frame formed with two sections, each comprising a transversely extending armsupported toward its inner end at the said block and an inward extending horizontally disposed seat-portion carried by the outer end of said arm, the said transverse arms overlapping each other at the saidblock, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

19. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with th e saddle-bar engaging-block, of a spring seat-frame formed with two sections, each comprising a transversely extending arm supported toward its inner end at the said block and an inward extending horizontally dis-' posed seat-portion carried bythe outer end of said arm, the said transverse armsoverlapping each other at the said block, and being bent coincidently at their overlapping portions to form a support receiving socket, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

20. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block,0f a spring seat -frame comprising two sections, each formed of a length of wire bent to produce the transverse supporting-arm, outer forward rail 25, center-rail 25, loop 1' and back-rail i substantially as described.

21. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block,0f a spring seat-frame comprising two sections each formed of a length of -wire bent to produce the transverse supporting-arm, outer forward. rail if and center-rail i having the elevated free end-portion forming the pommel, loop t and back-rail t having the upwardly bent cantlc-portion, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

22. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block,of a spring seat-frame formed with two sections each comprisinga transversely extending-arm supported toward its inner endat the said block, and an inward extending horizontally disposed seat-portion carried by the outer end of said arm, a reinforcing-plate or pad on each said section, and a seat covering of flexible material fastened upon the frame over the said reinforcing-plate or pad, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

23. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar engaging-block,ofa spring seatframe comprising two sections each formed of wire bent to'produce the transverse supporting-arm, outer forward rail, centerrail, loop and back-rail, and a reinforcingplate or pad fitted upon the said loop, sub-' stantially as describe 24;. In a bicycle-saddle, the-combination with the saddle-bar eugaging-block, of a spring-seat frame comprising two'sections each formed of wire bent to produce the transverse supporting-arm, outer forward rail, center-rail, loop and back-rail, and a clip connecting the center-rails of the sections toward their forward ends, substantially as described.

25. In a bicycle-saddle, the combination with the saddle-bar eugagingblock,ofa spring seat-frame comprising two sections each formed of Wire bent to produce the transverse supporting-arm, outer forward rail, centerrail, loop and back-rail, a clip connecting the center-rails of the sections toward their forward ends, and a seat-covering of flexible material fastened to the said clip, substantially as described.

ARTHUR J. EDDY.

\ In presence of J. W. DYRENFORTH, J. IJEE. 

